Former UK prime minister Tony Blair was positioned to take a mediator position in post-war Gaza which will include "examining" the acceptance of Palestinian refugees by Western nations, N12 reported on Sunday evening.
Blair was reportedly in Israel last week for undisclosed meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz.
In the meeting, the idea of the former British prime minister serving as a mediator was floated, with his work revolving around the issue of displaced Palestinians, serving as a liaison communicating Israel's security needs to the Western world.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published a statement on Sunday, welcoming the reports of Bliar "heading a task force that will promote the emigration of Gaza residents to other countries around the world.
"This is a morally just step to take, first and foremost for Gaza border residents, and for all of Israel," the minister said, adding that such initiatives are a "necessary component of the real solution to the 'day after,' which Otzma Yehudit has been leading."
Tony Blair denies discussions on Palestinian 'displacement'
Blair denied N12's report, writing in a response that "claims made over Blair's connection to displacement [of Palestinians] are incorrect.
"There never was such a discussion, and Blair would not discuss such a proposal," a source close to the former PM said.
The Channel 12 report in Israel linking Tony Blair to a discussion about a ‘role’ in the ‘voluntary resettlement of Gazans’ in Arab and other countries is a lie. The story was published without any contact with Tony Blair or his team. No such discussion has taken place. Nor would… https://t.co/wZ1yumxPiB
— Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (@InstituteGC) January 1, 2024